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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1986.547
Title
Scaraboid Stamp Seal: Crouching Sphinx
Classification
Seals
Work Type
seal
Date
700-600 BCE
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Phoenician
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/289076

Physical Descriptions

Medium
White stone
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
1.1 x 1.2 x 0.7 cm (7/16 x 1/2 x 1/4 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Jonathan H. Kagan
Accession Year
1986
Object Number
1986.547
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This is a scaraboid stamp seal made of a chalky, white stone. The face of the seal is engraved with the image of a reclining winged lion creature with a human head. A single wing rises up from the center of its back, with feathers indicated by a series of parallel grooves. The hair on the creature’s head is rendered in a similar manner. A curled tail rises up at the back. The seal is chipped at both the front and back of the creature. A palmette with three leaves is in the creature’s front paw.

Scaraboids featuring similar creatures, often called sphinxes, are best known from Phoenicia and Cyprus. The closest match to this seal is a chalcedony scaraboid in the collection of Leo Merz (1), dated to the 8th or 7th century BCE.

NOTE

1. M.-L. Vollenweider, Deliciae Leonis: Antike geschnittene Steine und Ringe aus einer Privatsammlung (Mainz am Rhein, 1984) no. 8.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu